• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

TR2/3/3A TR-3 Heater Knob Refinishing

Share this page

V

Vaark01

Jedi Trainee
Country flag
Offline
Hi,

I've got everything restored on my car except for the heater control knob on the dashboard. The white letters are weak and the knob is not shinny. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make it look like new?

Thanks.

Paul
 
Paul
I used a white paint pen to fill in the letters, then rubbed knob clean with fine steel wool. Its easy and looks good!
Congratulations on the restoration.
John
 
Paul,
I should add that the steel wool does not give a super glossy finish, but the look matched my other vintage panel controls. I'm not sure how glossy the knobs were when new.
John
 
I use acrylic paint (like artists' oil paints only water based) for the white.

I got a repro knob that was shiny and had to use steel wool on it to make it dull like the originals.
 
<span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="color: #003300">A little time consuming but: 1. Get the old paint out by soaking the knob in lacquer thinner & then brushing vigorously with an old toothbrush. Scrub the knurled edge too; that gets all the dirt & finger grease out. 2. Any of the prior suggestions for white paint will probably work. I prefer spray gloss white enamel. I spray a little in a disposable container, dab on the letters & arrow with a small stiff artists brush. I put several coats on so the letters are completely filled. let it dry for several days then start sanding off the excess with wet/dry sandpaper. Start with 600 grit, using lots of "wet" (water) Go slowly; you just want to get the paint off. When you're ALMOST there, switch to 2000 grit for the final excess removal. Using the wet/dry not only gets the excess paint off, it cleans any "oxidation" from the knob surface. 3. Now spray the surface with clear lacquer. That bakelite knob (or whatever it is) loves to "orange peel" anything sprayed on it. I stand it up on the floor on a brad inserted on a piece of wood, hold the spray can 12"-16" away and just give it a LIGHT coat. (1 second!) Do that about 3 times & then you can give it a heavy coat without it orange peeling. 4. Now its a little too shiny, so in a few days rub the surface with any commercial buffing compound. I use Maguires Deep System paint cleaner. Now, if your other knobs look shoddy by comparison, use that method on ALL of them ! If you do, one note of caution: Some of the older knobs have a rubber buffer inserted in them. Be sure to dig that out before using lacquer thinner. </span> </span>
 
Gentlemen,

Thank you for your great advice. I will follow it and report back on the results.

Thanks again, and Happy New Year.

Paul
 
Easiest thing in the world. Get your daughter's or granddaughter's Crayon set, get out the white crayon, and use that to fill in your knobs. Did mine seven years ago, and still looks great! Rub off any excess with a rag.
 
Howdy Folks,

I simply bought a whole new set of "Screw On" knobs which included the Heater Knob. Simple Installation; Just set screw the little devil on & It looks like its brand new, cause it is!! I forget where I bought it but It is period correct.

Russ
 
Back
Top